HF 039 Citadel Group
10:29:09 PM Josh: Josh added Hank, Creed to this conversation 10:29:09 PM Josh: Josh has enabled invitations, you can now invite people to this chat 10:30:08 PM Hank: So carriage, Kai, or walking how do you want to get to the citadel? 10:31:48 PM Josh: ...you guys fly over on Kai. 10:32:06 PM Josh: It is a much shorter, if slightly scarier, trip that way. 10:32:58 PM Hank: Hank heads for william's office once we get there. 10:33:41 PM Josh: As you enter and approach, you notice a somewhat more heavy guard then usual. You reach William's office. 10:34:14 PM Hank: Hank knocks on the door. 10:34:26 PM Josh: William opens it. "Hello. I was expecting you." 10:35:11 PM Josh: William: "Come in, please." 10:35:21 PM Hank: Hank enters. 10:35:59 PM Josh: William closes the door as you both enter. "I should alert both of you. We have something of a small time table on this." 10:36:18 PM Hank: How small? 10:36:51 PM Josh: William: "Dynne has called for one of his men to come in. He arrives in three days. Once that happens...it's out of my hands." 10:38:12 PM Hank: Three days is tight but until then you have full control? 10:38:37 PM Josh: William: "Yes. And I have already begun some investigating on my own." 10:38:55 PM Josh: William throws a small pouch to you. 10:39:38 PM Hank: Hank will open it and give the coded message to William. 10:40:09 PM Josh: William takes the message. The pouch is full of coins. Platinum and gold. 10:40:15 PM Hank: Apparently this coded message and a compromising photo were found on zharns body. 10:40:29 PM Josh: William: "...blackmail?" 10:41:01 PM Hank: Is what it seems like. 10:41:49 PM Hank: What's the money from? 10:42:52 PM Josh: William: "We found it scattered around the roof and ground. We counted roughly 5,000 gold worth. A lot to carry on your person, even for someone like Zharn." 10:43:48 PM Hank: So an attempt to pay of a blackmailer gone wrong? 10:44:13 PM Josh: William: "Seems like. The question is who. And why did it go wrong?" 10:44:47 PM Hank: Also why use this code, apparently it isn't used that often anymore. 10:45:36 PM Josh: William looks over the paper. "I don't know any codes. It might as well be undercommon to me." 10:46:15 PM Hank: Do we have anyone in the guard who specializes in codes? 10:46:42 PM Josh: William: "...not that I know of. A couple who know Thieves' Cant, but, if this is old, probably not this." 10:47:26 PM Creed: "It's roughly 50 years old." 10:47:58 PM Josh: William: "Yeah, probably outside any of my men." 10:48:12 PM Josh: William: "You say you translated it, though?" 10:49:29 PM Creed: "We did yes." 10:49:36 PM Josh: William: "Ok then." 10:50:05 PM Josh: William: "One other thing we found. Kind of strange." 10:50:34 PM Creed: Creed will recant what it says 10:50:52 PM Josh: William: "Sounds like a consensus then." 10:51:34 PM Josh: William: "We checked for footprints on neighboring houses. Quill said he thought he used those to escape. And we did find tracks on houses heading north. But each line of tracks starts dead center of the roof. Way out of the reach of a normal jump." 10:52:33 PM Hank: Huh. 10:53:19 PM Hank: So we are here to check out Zharns quarters. 10:53:44 PM Hank: Do we know any known associates of Zharn yet other than his family? 10:54:44 PM Josh: William: "Not so much. All the other ambassadors here had dealings with him. And we already know he had criminal connections." 10:55:43 PM Hank: Also we might need to know what brothels he may have visited. That seems to be where the photo was taken. 10:56:27 PM Josh: William: "...that suddenly makes a lot of sense. I can let you into his room for now. We will discuss brothels afterwards." 10:56:44 PM Hank: Ok 10:57:25 PM Josh: William leads you to his room. It is very high end with what we would consider a very arabic decor. It has a canopy bed with velvet sheets, a balcony, the works. 10:58:18 PM Josh: If you guys want to search, roll investigation checks. 10:58:59 PM Hank: (( 9 )) 10:59:56 PM Hank: Does the room look messy like someone left in a rush? 11:00:13 PM Creed: (( 16 )) 11:00:25 PM Josh: ((No, it does not)) 11:01:59 PM Creed: “Over here, letters and this.. ring.” 11:02:03 PM Creed: Creed studies the ring 11:02:05 PM Josh: ((It looks a little emptier than usual, but otherwise, just partially lived in.)) 11:02:28 PM Hank: Hank will look at the letters. 11:03:09 PM Josh: The letters are all coded, but you find more pictures inside. All with the same woman, all in...carnal positions. 11:03:25 PM Josh: One has another tiefling in it, same tattoo, but on her ankle. 11:04:14 PM Hank: (( are the letters all in the same handwriting?)) 11:05:05 PM Josh: ((You can't really tell. Not explicitly different, at least)) 11:05:51 PM Hank: ((Can I tell if the code resembles the other letter we have?)) 11:06:10 PM Josh: It looks similar enough that you could assume that. 11:07:26 PM Creed: “This... has been going for a while.” 11:08:19 PM Hank: The blackmailing? 11:08:42 PM Creed: “Yes. For amounts, deeds, and possibly more.” 11:10:35 PM Hank: I wonder if they always used the same rendezvous for the transactions? 11:10:48 PM Creed: “I might be able to find out, but it’ll take more time.” 11:10:55 PM Creed: “I’m not used to this code.” 11:11:55 PM Hank: We need to find someone else who uses it, obviously at least one other person knows it. 11:12:23 PM Josh: William looks at the pictures. "This is a brothel, you think?" 11:12:52 PM Creed: “Well if you give me enough time I can get used to it, so we won’t need to.” 11:13:08 PM Hank: That's our thought, and what the broken heart tattoo seems to indicate. 11:13:12 PM Creed: “A lot of these are more political in nature, for bills and such.” 11:13:42 PM Hank: We have three days before the investigation is taken away from us. Is that enough time? 11:14:04 PM Creed: “I’m not sure Hank.” 11:14:17 PM Creed: “But I can say once I know the code it’ll be easy.” 11:14:38 PM Josh: William: "Assuming there even is any more information in those to be gained." 11:15:11 PM Hank: I have a potential idea on the code deciphering front. 11:15:12 PM Creed: “If they use this code this often, it’s either they don't know it’s been updated, or they’re really used to using it.” 11:15:49 PM Hank: So what was up with the ring Creed? 11:16:04 PM Creed: “It’s a decoder ring.” 11:17:04 PM Hank: William did you get statements from everyone in the tent? 11:17:37 PM Josh: William: "I did. Most had never met or even heard of the boy." 11:18:09 PM Hank: Can we get a copy of those who had? 11:18:43 PM Creed: “William, do you know where this tattoo is from?” 11:18:49 PM Josh: William: "I will send you the transcripts." 11:19:16 PM Josh: William: "I have an idea. I believe it is the brand of Mama Myria's...establishment." 11:19:39 PM Creed: “You can call it a brothel, we’re not children.” 11:20:20 PM Hank: Where is it located? 11:20:54 PM Josh: William: "Here in the center circle. On the Eastern side, by the water." 11:21:16 PM Creed: “I can go there, I have no qualms with such places.” 11:23:13 PM Hank: The question is do we go now or do we regroup first? 11:24:35 PM Josh: William: "What's wrong with now, if I may ask?" 11:25:46 PM Creed: “It’s fine, surely the brothel maidens won’t attack us.” 11:26:22 PM Hank: Fine, fine, let's go then.